Father Accused Of Violently Shaking His Baby Son To Death

A father murdered his baby son by violently shaking him and throwing him down, a court heard.

Shane Hawkins, 25, from Bodmin, Cornwall, allegedly shook 11-month-old Kaydon before 'throwing him down' onto the floor, causing bleeding and swelling to his brain and eyes.

Truro Crown Court was told that a neighbour, who lived above the flat Hawkins shared with his girlfriend Anna Libby, heard the couple arguing on the day Kaydon was rushed to the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

Kaydon had been left with his father after Miss Libby left for work on that day (December 11, 2010). Hawkins called 999 17 minutes after she left the flat, and Kaydon was rushed to hospital, but died three days later from his injuries.

Hawkins denies murder.

Martin Meeke, prosecuting, said: 'Kaydon was only 11 months old when he died and we say this defendant killed him by shaking him so violently that it caused brain injuries that he could not recover from.

"Having shaken him, he either threw him down in his cot or struck his head, causing bruising to his head.

"On the day Kaydon was taken to hospital, a neighbour in the flat above reported hearing arguments and things being thrown around. He then heard a huge thud which got his attention and he wondered what it could be, 20 minutes later he noticed the blue lights outside."

The court was also told that Hawkins gave six different reasons for how his son died.

He first told paramedics that Kaydon had fallen, then told a hospital doctor he had slipped from his arms and hit his head.

He went on to tell a friend that Kaydon had 'gone floppy', and later told a medic that he had dropped Kaydon on the carpeted floor. His fifth explanation was that Kaydon had vomited before hitting his head, and he then went on to tell police his son banged his head on a heater at home.

Fiona Libby, Anna Libby's sister, told the court that she had seen injuries on Kaydon before he died:

"When he was two to three weeks old he had two black eyes, just under his eyes and slight bruising on his nose. When he was a month old he had a cut mouth, his lip was cut and all his gums were black.

"The only time I remember him not having marks on him was when Shane was working full time. Once, Shane picked him up and Kaydon began crying like he was scared, I've never seen him cry like that before."